Peterson

Peterson v. Islamic Republic of Iran

Good Law

627 F.3d 1117·2010 WL 4910226·2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 24709

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitDecember 3, 201008-17756California4,494 words

Opinion

Fletcher, J.

Opinion by Judge B. FLETCHER; Dissent by Judge N.R. SMITH.

OPINION

Plaintiffs obtained a default judgment against Iran for $2,656,944,877. When it became clear that Iran was not going to comply with the judgment, plaintiffs moved the district court to order Iran to assign to the plaintiffs, as judgment creditors, Iran’s rights to payment from CMA CGM. CMA CGM is a French shipping company that allegedly frequents Iranian ports and pays Iran for use of its harbors and for providing its ships with bunkering oil. The district court raised the issue of foreign sovereign immunity even though Iran did not appear to assert that defense, and the court denied plaintiffs’ assignment motion on the basis that Iran’s rights to payment from CMA CGM are immune under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (“FSIA”). We affirm.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

On October 23, 1983, Ismalal Ascari drove a truck carrying a large explosive device into the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Ascari crashed through a wire fence and wall of sandbags, drove into the center of the compound, and detonated the explosives, killing 241 American servicemen and injuring many others. Peterson v. Islamic…

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Parties

Deborah D. PETERSON-
Plaintiff
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, v. World Bank, Movant, v. CMA CGM, Third-Party--, and Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Defendant

Judges

Fletcher
Thomas
Smith

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